When the New England Patriots watched Trent Brown leave for Oakland and a massive new contract they weren't going to match, the question immediately turned to who would protect the blind side of 42-year-old quarterback Tom Brady.
The ideal answer was second-year tackle Isaiah Wynn, who had his entire rookie season wiped out by a torn Achilles tendon suffered last preseason.
Monday marked a big step toward Wynn possibly winning that starting role.
The 23-year-old participated in team and individual drills for the first time during camp, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Wynn rotated starter reps with Dan Skipper and ended the day at LT on the first-team unit in the Pats' two-minute drill.
"I'm pretty good," Wynn said. "I'm back out there, so that's the biggest thing. Just coming out here, taking it day by day, and getting ready to help any way I can."
Wynn wasn't full-go Monday, but the development is a major stride toward him locking down the only spot on the line that was up for grabs, with Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason and Marcus Cannon all returning.
"You're always working to get better at technique. It's never polished. So, if you consider that knocking off the rust, then yeah," Wynn said when asked if he was rusty after a long layoff.
If the 6-foot-2, 310-pound left tackle progresses through the rest of the preseason, he should be in line to start Week 1, which would answer a big question for the defending Super Bowl champs.
